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This topic provides a brief overview of the major analysis, data management and reporting capabilities provided by BlockSim.
You can also review an introduction to the Synthesis Platform and a list of what's new in the Synthesis version.
BlockSim's interface for reliability block diagram (RBD) creation is the most intuitive, flexible and polished in the industry. Easy drag-and-drop techniques allow you to build RBDs for the simplest to the most complex systems. The software supports all of the following reliability-wise configuration types:
Simple Series and Parallel: Simple series configurations assume that the failure of any one component causes the system to fail; while simple parallel configurations assume that the system continues to operate if any path succeeds.
Complex: Complex configurations require a more advanced analytical treatment than a simple combination of series and parallel blocks. Such configurations may be required for analyzing network systems, competing failure modes, etc.
k-out-of-n: Node blocks can be used to define k-out-of-n redundancy, where a specified number of paths leading to the node must succeed in order for the system to succeed.
Load Sharing: In a load sharing configuration, each block supports a percentage of the total load. In the Synthesis version, BlockSim now supports stress-independent distributions for load sharing blocks.
Standby Redundancy: In a standby configuration, standby blocks are available to become active under specified circumstances. BlockSim can model hot, warm or cold standby configurations.
Mirrored Blocks: Mirrored blocks allow you to put the exact same component in more than one location within the diagram. These blocks can be used, for example, to simulate bi-directional paths in a communications network. In the Synthesis version, BlockSim offers increased modeling flexibility by supporting mirrors across different diagrams.
Multi Blocks: Multi blocks help you to save time (and space in the diagram) by using a single block to represent multiple identical components configured in series or parallel.
Subdiagrams: BlockSim offers a virtually unlimited capability to link diagrams as components in other diagrams, which provides a variety of opportunities to encapsulate one analysis into another.
Publish Diagrams as Models: Now in the Synthesis version, we have drastically increased BlockSim's capability for encapsulation by allowing users to publish an analyzed diagram as a model that can be used in any other Synthesis analysis (e.g., in another BlockSim diagram or in the reliability/maintainability calculations supported by Xfmea, RCM++ or RBI).
BlockSim's fault tree analysis interface supports all of the traditional gates and event symbols that are applicable to system reliability and related analyses. In addition, only BlockSim allows you to expand the modeling capabilities with additional logic gates that represent load sharing and standby redundancy configurations. The available event symbols include Basic, Undeveloped, Trigger, Resultant and Conditional, while the supported fault tree diagram gates include:
Voting gates
Inhibit gates
Priority AND and Sequence Enforcing gates
Load Sharing and Standby gates (exclusively in BlockSim)
Now in the Synthesis version, fault tree diagrams can be configured to display intermediate results at each individual gate (in addition to the results calculated for the top-level gate).
Your BlockSim projects can contain both fault trees and reliability block diagrams together in the same analysis workspace. You can also integrate your fault trees and RBDs by linking a fault tree as a subdiagram to an RBD or vice versa, copying events from a fault tree diagram and pasting them as blocks in an RBD, and automatically converting any fault tree to an RBD.
As described in Analytical Diagrams, BlockSim uses an exclusive algorithm pioneered by ReliaSoft to algebraically compute the exact system reliability function for even the most complex systems. This makes it possible to perform a number of system reliability investigations analytically, without resorting to simulation. Some useful analytical results include:
System Reliability Metrics and Plots: You can use the convenient Quick Calculation Pad (QCP) and plot sheets to calculate and visualize key system reliability metrics such as Reliability, Probability of Failure, Reliable Life (i.e., time for a given reliability), BX% life (i.e., time for a given unreliability), Mean Life and Failure Rate.
Minimal Cut Sets: For each analytical diagram, BlockSim identifies the unique combinations of component failure that can cause system failure. These Minimal Cut Sets can be used to understand the structural vulnerability of a system.
Reliability Importance Measures: BlockSim provides a set of "Reliability Importance" plots designed to show the relative importance of each component with respect to the overall reliability of a system. The software also offers "FRED Reports," which provide an intuitive graphical presentation of key reliability metrics, with color-coding to identify the ones that may be critical for system improvement.
As described in Allocation Analysis, the Synthesis version of BlockSim also introduces a new tool dedicated to helping you find the most effective component Reliability Allocation to meet a system reliability goal. The new centralized utility makes it easier than ever to enter and manage all of the information required to use the innovative Cost Optimized allocation method that's still available exclusively in BlockSim. This feature now also supports Equal and Weighted reliability allocation methods.
As described in Simulation Diagrams, BlockSim's simulation capability for reliability, availability, maintainability and supportability (RAMS) analysis of repairable systems is more flexible and realistic than ever. For a new system, product engineers can use the simulation results to improve and optimize the design, and make projections about how the system may perform in the field. For existing equipment, asset performance managers, maintenance planners, risk/safety analysts and many other professionals can use the simulation results for maintenance resource planning, throughput estimates, life cycle cost analysis and much more.
When you utilize simulation, the analysis can consider:
The restoration factor that captures the impact of repairs on the future reliability of the component (i.e., as good as new, as bad as old or partial restoration).
Duty cycles for components that experience a different stress load than the rest of the system (e.g., a component that may run for only 10 minutes out of every hour that the system operates, or a component that works twice as hard during a particular phase of the overall mission).
The expected downtime associated with corrective or scheduled maintenance (defined either as fixed durations or based on probabilistic distributions).
The costs and logistical constraints associated with allocating the personnel (repair crews) and materials (spare parts) required to perform maintenance when needed.
Components that will receive maintenance based on what happens to other components in a specified maintenance group. For example, if one component in the group fails, this might trigger preventive maintenance for other components while the system is already down. In the Synthesis version, BlockSim can now model even more complex scenarios, such as maintenance that occurs when another component is restored to operation, or components that are affected by more than one maintenance group.
BlockSim now offers the ability to create state change triggers that activate or deactivate a block under certain conditions during the simulation. This provides increased modeling flexibility for highly complex dependency scenarios, such as standby configurations and other situations when you may need to divert the simulation onto an alternate path when a particular event occurs.
BlockSim's simulations generate a wide variety of results at the system and/or component level. This includes Uptime/Downtime, Mean Time to First Failure (MTTFF), Availability, Reliability, Number of Failures, Number of PMs/Inspections, etc. You can use these results for many different applications, including (but not limited to):
Choosing the most effective maintenance strategy based on considerations of safety, cost and/or availability.
Determining the optimum preventive maintenance (PM) interval.
Managing the spare parts inventory based on considerations of cost, utilization rate, supply bottlenecks, etc.
Identifying the components that have the biggest impact on availability (downtime).
The software's Log of Simulations feature provides the information you need to evaluate the variability in specific simulation results of interest. In the Synthesis version, you can now export these results to Microsoft Excel for greater flexibility.
BlockSim's Throughput Analysis can be used to identify bottlenecks, optimize resource allocation and otherwise improve the processing efficiency of the system. The software allows you to determine how the simulation will allocate the processed output (e.g., parts manufactured in an assembly line or volume of oil processed in a pipeline) across the paths defined in the diagram. The software also allows you to specify how the backlog will be processed. When the throughput varies over time (e.g., if the flow from an oil well drops over time as the reserves are depleted), BlockSim provides a choice of models to describe the time-dependent variability (linear, exponential or power).
Every successful organization understands that it is critical to understand the Life Cycle Costs (LLC) associated with their equipment. Whenever applicable, BlockSim allows you to specify the direct and indirect costs associated with the maintenance strategies that you have defined, including costs related to downtime, maintenance crews, spares, etc. This yields a wide array of simulation results that are instrumental in performing realistic LLC assessments. Now in the Synthesis version, any cost input can be entered as a probabilistic model, if desired.
You can use reliability phase diagrams to model systems that go through different phases during the course of their operation. For example, some aircraft components (such as landing gear) operate only during the take-off and landing phases of a mission, while others (such as engines) may experience a higher failure rate during these phases due to higher stress. To model these types of situations in BlockSim, you can simply create separate RBDs to describe the system's operation during each distinct phase and then use a phase diagram to describe how the system proceeds through the phases over time.
In addition, the software uses maintenance phases to model scenarios in which a system goes directly to maintenance under specified conditions. For example, if a failure during the taxi phase sends an aircraft in for maintenance, it will start over from the beginning of the mission once repaired — not from the middle of the taxi phase where it was when the failure occurred, as other RBD analyses have been forced to assume. This flexibility provides a tremendous leap forward in the ability to simulate system operation more realistically.
Now in the Synthesis version, we have added success/failure paths, for situations where a system proceeds to one operational phase upon success and a different operational phase upon failure. Node blocks and stop blocks are also now supported.
BlockSim makes it easy to create a complete array of plots and charts to present your analysis graphically. The Plot Setup allows you to completely customize the "look and feel" of plot graphics while the RS Draw metafile graphics editor provides the option to insert text, draw objects or mark particular points on plot graphics. You can save your plots in a variety of graphic file formats (*.jpg, *.gif, *.png or *.wmf) for use in other documents.
Overlay Plots (formerly called "MultiPlots") allow you to plot the results from multiple data sets together in the same plot. This can be an effective visual tool for many different purposes, such as comparing different analyses (e.g., Design A vs. Design B) or demonstrating the effects of a design change (e.g., Before vs. After).
All Synthesis applications offer powerful tools for custom analysis and reporting. If you want to create a custom analysis that integrates results from different diagrams, BlockSim now provides a choice of using an Analysis Workbook (with functionality similar to Microsoft Excel) or a new Word Report Template (with functionality similar to Microsoft Word).
Both tools allow you to use the Function Wizard to insert calculated results based on selected data sheet(s). You also have the option to configure the functions to use generically numbered "data sources" instead of named diagrams. This makes it easy to use the same template again for different analyses.
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